Having Everything
by Apapazukamori
Summary: Sometimes, what is given is what is received. [Follow up to Respond in Kind][Ranken]


Having Everything  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The movie had long been over by the time the sleepy figure on the couch stretched out languidly, sighing happily. Aquamarine eyes tinted a darker blue by the light from the television blinked slowly and a tanned hand reached up to stifle a yawn. He wondered what time it was. It seemed to be too much work to sit up and look at the clock in kitchen. Not that he would have been able to see the analog hands anyway. Grinning, he curled up deeper in the blanket he had brought out with him and closed his eyes, absorbing the warmth as he fell into a light doze.  
  
Light footsteps on the hardwood floor pulled him out of it; he kept his eyes closed, turning his head into the couch cushion to hide his grin. The steps closed in on the couch, stopping just beside him. Silence followed, and he tried to keep quiet. If he was fooling anyone, the second he laughed, it was all over.  
  
"Liar."  
  
That did it. Ken erupted in giggles as he peeked his head out of his blanket cocoon and looked up at Ran. The redhead was half-lit by the television, and the part of his mouth that remained shadowed was turned up in a smirk. "You know me so well."  
  
The weight of the couch shifted as Ran sat down by his feet. "Only because it was something a five-year-old would pull."  
  
"Oi!" Ken kicked the older man lightly in the back. He stretched again, preparing to finally get up. If only to pounce Ran once he was free of the blanket. "You're up late."  
  
Ran offered a small, apologetic smile. The words were unnecessary on this topic; Ken knew where Ran had been. "How is she?"  
  
A one shoulder shrug, orchid hued eyes fixed on pale hands. "Every time I'm there they tell me she's looking better." Ran laced his fingers together in his lap. "But I never see any change."  
  
Ken did sit up this time, inching over to clasp the folded hands between his. He leaned his forehead against the crown of soft crimson hair. He said nothing; there was nothing he could say that had not already been said. The comfort he wanted to give came from actions, not words.   
  
Releasing the hands only so he could wrap his arms around the slim shoulders, Ken pulled Ran down and the two lay together on the couch, illuminated by the harsh blue-white glow of the television. Ran rested his head on Ken's chest, and the brunette marveled that this had been allowed. Despite Ken's acceptance of Aya and all the baggage that Ran carried, Ran remained very much withdrawn from others, relying solely on the strength in his thin frame to get him through his difficulties. In private, Ran was willing to accept limited help, but out in the open, as they were now, where Yohji or Omi--provided either were still up--could walk in on them, Ran ordinarily shunned any attention Ken offered. Ken ran his fingers through one of the redhead's eartails and smiled.   
  
The next thing he knew, he was waking up to the irritating sound of Ran's alarm buzzer. Flailing blindly, Ken managed to swipe the plastic beastie, knocking it to the floor and effectively shutting it up. Smiling sleepily, he curled back up under the covers until his caffeine-starved brain realized that he had not fallen asleep in Ran's bed last night, or was it earlier that morning? What time *was* it, anyway? Slowly opening one blurry eye, Ken looked around. He scanned the room, then looked out the window, only to be greeted by the sun as it rose, banishing the last bit of purple-black night from the sky and glinting on the snow-topped skyscrapers.  
  
"You're buying me a new alarm clock."  
  
Ken yelped and rolled over. "What the hell are you setting that thing so early?!" He retorted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Waking me up... I don't even have a shift today."  
  
Ran leaned down and kissed Ken briefly as he buttoned up the crisp white Oxford shirt, nimble fingers working quickly. Ken thought about seeing how quickly he could *unbutton* the shirt, but yawned instead. It was rare when Ken was too tired to pounce on his lover, but it did happen. Being awakened at dawn was one of those times. "You don't, but I do." The redhead said, clearly amused. "And since you're in my bed, you'll have to deal with it."  
  
Oh yeah. "Yeah, about that... how did we get up here?" Ken asked, burrowing down into the covers so that only his eyes and forehead were visible. The sheets smelled like Ran, and still had the redhead's warmth in them. Ken wondered if Ran would mind if he stayed there all day. Or at least until Yohji came looking for someone to foist a shift on because of some hot date.  
  
"I carried you up here." Ran was digging through the top drawer of his dresser, looking for a suitable pair of socks. "I couldn't very well let you stay on the couch."  
  
Ken blushed and ducked his head completely under the covers. Through the thick material, he could hear Ran's quiet laughter. Most people would not have caught it, but the sound was so rare and precious, Ken never failed to pick up on it. Looking out into the room again, Ken saw that the redhead had left. Probably brushing his teeth, the brunette mused as he looked around Ran's room again with a slightly more alert mind. His eyes drifted, as they were wont to, to Ran's dresser and all the neat things on it. Well, they might not have been neat to anyone else, but Ken happened to be interested in the stuff the stoic redhead collected.   
  
Wandering over the long familiar stack of thin paperbacks and bookmarks on the corner, Ken's gaze was drawn to something out of the ordinary. On top of the first third of Ran's Penguin Classics collection, was a small white felt box. Now, that was not supposed to be there. It looked to be no bigger than the palm of someone's hand, a perfect size box to put a ring in....  
  
Oh shit.  
  
Ken's eyes widened as he scrambled out from under the covers, nearly tripping over the bottoms of his too long pajama pants. He was the single stupidest human being on the earth. He was sure of it. Turning the box over in his hand, he realized it was the one he had left in Ran's room the day before, hiding it underneath one of the pillows on the bed. He had planned to surprise Ran with it, but had not expected the redhead to come home so late, nor that he would fall asleep on the couch and be *carried* back to the bed they so often shared.  
  
Smacking his forehead, Ken cursed himself in three or four colorful ways. "So much for the surprise..." He muttered.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
Ken 'meep'ed, startled at the voice so close to his ear. He whirled around, putting the ring box behind his back. "N-nothing, Ran!" He sputtered, laughing nervously. The orchid eyes narrowed almost imperceptively.  
  
"What surprise?" Ran pressed.  
  
Ken balked, a red-hot blush painting his cheeks. "A-ano..." He jerked away when Ran reached for the hand that was behind his back, but the redhead was more agile and managed to catch him. Ken switched the box to his left hand and let Ran pull the right one to the front. He did not want to do it this way. This was the utmost in unromantic.  
  
He opened the hand still in Ran's grip. "See?" He said lamely. "Nothing there."  
  
Ran's expression clearly told Ken how big of an idiot the redhead thought he was. "Ken, what are you hiding?"  
  
Wiggling his wrist to try and free his hand, Ken shook his head. "Can't tell." He said quickly, concentrating on getting his hand out of his lover's grip. "I--" Ken stopped when he saw Ran's hand.   
  
There was a ring on it.  
  
Ran was wearing the silver band Ken had bought weeks ago, and he was wearing it on his left ring finger. Speechless, Ken barely noticed Ran grabbing the hand with the box in it. Ran had found the ring, then what--?   
  
"It seems we were thinking along the same lines." He did not miss the soft smile that lit up the redhead's face as Ran gently pushed Ken's hand towards himself, saying without words that he wanted Ken to open it. Eyes widening, Ken opened the box. The small hinges creaked softly and Ken found himself strangely lightheaded. There was a silver band, almost identical to the one he had bought for Ran, except this one was thinner and had a small, knotted design engraved on the outside. Numbly, Ken took the ring out of the box and slipped it on, making his hand a reflection of Ran's pale one.  
  
"You upstaged me..." Ken heard himself say quietly, a petulant pout forming on his face.   
  
Ran seemed to find this indescribably funny and he laughed right out loud, with enough volume that not too soon after, Ken felt a thumping on the floor beneath his feet and a muffled command from Yohji to shut up. Unable to stay huffy any longer, especially with Ran still chuckling behind tightly closed lips, Ken broke down laughing, stepping forward into his lover's embrace and pressing up against him tightly. "Am I forgiven?" Ken felt more than heard Ran's voice as it rumbled through his chest.   
  
Pushing away to look up into the orchid eyes, Ken smirked. "Yeah." He said. "You're still a jerk though." He closed his eyes as Ran's lips met his, sighing as his arms moved to encircle the redhead's neck. The kiss deepened as they opened their mouths and explored territory so familiar, yet impossible to memorize completely. Backing up two steps, Ken pulled Ran down with him to the bed, the springs beneath their bodies squeaking quietly. Ran pulled back slowly, gazing down at Ken and caressing the brunette's cheek. Ken felt the ring's metal, already warm from being on Ran's hand, sliding across his skin and shivered. "You can open late today, right?"  
  
Orchid eyes widened lightly, then narrowed in a smile. "For you? Anything."  
  
~*~Owari~*~ 


End file.
